Hush Little Hunter
by SweetAmara
Summary: Follow on from Veronica Mars: The Thousand-Dollar Tanline. Logan's returned home from service for a well-earned break and Lianne has been charged as an accessory in her new husband Tanner Scott's scam. But if she goes to jail what happens to Veronica's half-brother Hunter and what does this mean for LoVe? Thank you for all your support and reviews so far, I really appreciate it! :)
1. Logan's Homecoming

'I missed you_,_' Veronica whispered resting on her elbow.

'Yeah, me too, you forget how good cable TV is when your over there," Logan half-smiled.

'You've got to be kidding? That's what our tryst means to you, good cable and a bucket of popcorn on your lap while watching Vincent Vega shake his tail feather?' She mocked exasperated.

'Okay, so there are other perks too,' He leant in and planted a kiss on her cheek.

'See was that so hard?'

'Anyone would think you've been _pining_?' He was laying on his side facing her, a crisp breeze flowing in from the ocean, as they laid in his dimly lit room.

'_Pining_? That is not a word that's in the Mars family vocabulary,'

'Maybe it should be,'

'You say _pining_, I say, a momentary aberration,'

They were suddenly quiet for a moment.

'You think you'll stick around?' He asked after a beat, catching her completely off guard.

_Of course I am staying, I'd sooner fight King Kong, than go back to New York._

'Veronica?'

'Of course,' She rested her hand softly on his bare chest, 'What ever would I do without the entire JAG crew at my beck and call?' She quipped.

'I was worried, you know,' He blinked rapidly, frantic even. He looked up at the ceiling; but Veronica's eyes were still completely fixed on him.

'What would _you_ need to worry about? Nicholas Spark's has already got our story in the works for his latest best seller. We're on fire, baby, he even promised us writing credit,' She snuggled into his side.

'I was worried that I'd get back and you'd be gone. You know, back to New York and it would be like it was before. You'd leave me some _Dear John_. I don't-I don't want to screw this up this time.' He laced his fingers into hers.

'Logan,' She sat up, bringing her face closed to his, 'This long distance thing… it's tough; but I am not going anywhere. You don't have to worry, I am the Butch Cassidy of Neptune, the picture of cool, calm and collected,'

'And with the perfect quips to boot,' He smiled broadly reassured by her word and she tenderly kissed his lips. She could feel his hands running through her flaxen hair.

She looked out onto the hazy, luminous twilight of an early morning. She could already see people beginning to flock to the sands, mostly surfers, trailed by groups of impressionable, young bimbos. Each giggling away at their chosen man-crush, fully unaware of their own tawdriness, and high school-esque desperation. She smirked at the thought.

'Do you think your mom will be acquitted?'

_Way to stay out the deep end, Logan._

'I have no clue, her lawyer says, she's got a chance. I mean, she had no idea what he was doing, it had never even occurred to her until I came by that day. Tanner manipulated her, he scammed hundreds of thousands dollars from the Find Aurora Fund, he wanted to profit from Hayley's disappearance as well - Surely that counts for something,'

_It has to._

'What about Hunter? What'll we do if she's jailed?'

'I promised him, he wouldn't be alone, I have to keep my promise,' She rested her head against the headboard, 'I can't-I can't let him end up in foster care, Logan, I just can't,"

'No, I know, trust me I know better than anyone about the ties that bind" She thought she saw him a grimace as if thoughts of his family were sweeping through his mind, 'But where's he going to sleep? I'll be deployed again and I doubt you want Dick doing his _Big Daddy _impression. What does your dad think?'

_Yeah, Veronica, what does your dad think? _


	2. Conflict in the Ranks

She wandered in, half-expecting her dad to be planted on the sofa with a paper in his lap, still reminding her of curfews and insisting on meeting her gentlemen caller. But then she remembered she was an adult now – one of the many advantages that came with the territory; despite being back under her father's roof. All subtlety had worn off, they had an unspoken agreement, she could exit and enter as she pleased and in return, she would stop asking him whether he'd been out at speed dating again.

"Dad?" She called down the hallway.

'I'll be there in a sec, Honey,'

She could hear him trudging, ever since the accident he had a subtle limp; but with each days he seemed to improve and Veronica's concerns lessened.

_It could be way worse, you know that._

She sat down on the orange-brown leather sofa and peered down at the collection of files splayed out across the coffee table. The words she heard so many times before jumped at her like flying darts.

**Accessory.****Contribute****. Guilty. **

'You rang?'

She gasped. He already stood in front of her, dressed in his old Sharks jersey, signatures and names haphazardly adorning the front and sleeves like a memorial to heroes past.

_Ahh, the naivety of youth._

'Dad, I need to talk to you about something,'

He sat down on his ottoman, still looking directly at her and leaned in close, just like he always did when he was preparing himself for bad news.

_'_What is it?_'_

_Here it goes, better late than never._

'I made a promise to Hunter, I told him, that if Mom gets put away - I'd take care of him,'

Keith took a deep breath and shifted in his seat, 'You what?'

She gulped back a nervous ball forming in her throat, 'I-I promised him, that if something happened to Mom, I'd look after him,'

He looked at her incredulously, his voice measured 'Veronica, do you have any idea how hard that would be? You just came back, you can't take on that responsibility. I know you want to help and all; but this isn't your problem. Your mother and I will figure it out,'

_Problem?_

The word rattled around inside her head.

'He is my _problem,_ he's my brother and I made a _promise _to keep him safe – To make sure he isn't alone!' She quavered.

'Shit. And how are you going to do that, huh?' Keith's voice bellowed through the living room, he was standing now, arms crossed with a furrowed brow, 'Tucking him in before chasing after adulterers and petty criminals? Stuffing a taser under his pillow? Putting a tracking device in his molar, huh?'

Her mouth hung open, riled, she could feel the hot tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. She let out a whimper, trying to force back the burning sensation engulfing her throat.

'I just….I want him to be with family,'

'And where will he sleep? Who will pay for his clothes, his food?' He sat back down now, his head in his hands, rubbing softly at his temples.

'I don't know, I was kind of hoping we could do a _Trading Spaces_ kind of thing, we have a spare bedroom, right? I could take the costs out of my wage,'

'And what does Logan think of this?'

_Oh yes, the million dollar question._

'Well, he hasn't really said,' She ran her hand along the edge of the table, suddenly more cautious at his mention, 'He _seems _okay with it, he understands it's important to me,'

'You can't save everyone, Honey, you know that right?' He looked at her wearily.

'I do,' She agreed, offering him a melancholy smile, 'But I'll save him if that's what it takes,'

Keith sighed and looked across the room at the montage of photos on the wall: towhead Veronica, his little girl at soccer practice, on prom night, in her high chair – that little face covered in crusty food, smiling up at him happily, innocently and he closed his eyes.

'_If…_' He trailed off, '_If _your Mom gets convicted, Hunter can stay here, and we'll organize something. But, Veronica-This is a huge responsibility and if you make this decision, there is no going back,' With that he got up and ambled back down the passage to his bedroom.

'I have,' She blurted a little too late.

_Well, he won't be singing Sister Sledge any time soon._


	3. Daddy and Daughter Time

They sat at the kitchen table, each with a fork in hand, both gently prodding at the stir-fry Keith had cooked earlier that evening. Both in complete silence. She thought she'd seen her dad eye her from across the table; but he'd quickly stared back down at his bowl. It had virtually been left untouched - almost overflowing with confetti-colored vegetables and strips of chicken.

_He's definitely not eating his feelings._

She looked up at him and smiled broadly.

_Come on Dad, Mommy Dearest so doesn't work for you._

He simpered back.

'I am sorry, Veronica, I just-I worry,' He breathed.

'I know you do, Pops,' She reached across the table and lightly rubbed the top of his hand, 'but I am fine, we'll all be fine; but I need you to be with me on this,' Her ocean blue eyes almost doe-like.

'I _am_ your partner, aren't I?' He smirked.

'Yeah, you are,' Her pearly smile glistened as she raised her hand to high-five him, he of course, slapped it willingly.

Then she let herself slip back into her chair at ease again with her dad's support in tow.

'I love you, Honey,'

'I love you too,' She felt relieved to be able to say that, after all that had happened, how many times she'd thought she'd lose him, it was one of the biggest comforts imaginable.

_More than you know, Dad, more than you know._

'I want Hunter to be safe and looked after, you know that, right?'

'I do,' She nodded, pulling her loose hair back behind her ear.

'I know you're an adult, it's just… you've been through so much, I don't want you to get hurt,' He said, still chewing a mouthful of food.

'But he's family, Dad, this is different, you know that,'

She could see there was more he wanted to add; but instead he shrugged his shoulders.

'No, I know, we'll do our best to take care of him,' His voice was so light, almost airy as he said it, and she knew that he truly meant it, 'Hopefully we can get your mom out of this mess,'

'What are the lawyers saying?'

'Not much, they're still pretty tight-lipped at the moment,' He let his silverware fall carelessly across the bowl and pulled his arms up behind his head.

'Do you think she's got a chance?' She suddenly felt choked at the thought of her mom being locked up, among murders and convicted felons.

_Stay cool, Mars._

She could tell he was feeling perplexed and maybe a tad disappointed at just how little faith she had left. It was moments like those when he remembered she was no longer a believer of the good-always-triumphs-over-evil trope. No, that Veronica was long gone, stuck somewhere between _My Little Pony _episodes and their trip to Disneyland. But it had been a brief period none the less.

'Of course she does,' He did his best _trust-me_ face.

'When will you find-'

'In a few days,' He interrupted, 'When I find out anything, I let you know; but at this point we just have to hope this lawyer knows what he's doing. Are you going back to Logan's tonight?'

Logan was still a topic that he took with a grain of salt. While he wanted her to be happy, and accepted it, she knew he still didn't exactly agree with the pairing, she could feel herself getting antsy again.

'I was thinking of hanging around here, we could have a _30 Rock _marathon, open a couple of beers, beside who doesn't love a good lemon?'

'Dick's throwing another big blow out at Logan's?' He raised an eyebrow.

'If you mean by 'big,' Chris Hemsworth. Orlando Bloom and Channing Tatum could make an appearance than yes,'

'That big, huh?'

'Yep, Dick's not a fan of invite only, besides his Facebook crawling with midriff-bearing broads. Logan headed off to Catalina for a few days, it's his grandfather's birthday, so he's really not in the mood for poppin' bottles in the club,'

'Poor guy,' He shook his head, 'You didn't want go?'

She took Keith's plate, stacked it onto hers, and wandered into the kitchen 'Nah, I thought I'd give him a couple of days, he can't always be Jake Ryan,'

'Honey, while you're there grab the beers?' She saw him in her peripheral vision, as he strutted back into the living room, she imagined he'd fall down into his arm chair, and let his feet hang over the side of the ottoman.

'Okay,' She sing-songed and reached into the fridge to grab the beers, 'But I better see Alec Baldwin trying to comfort Tina Fey while she cries through her mouth.'

There was a small moan of footsteps as they moved briskly across the floor in the living room and she leant against the kitchen island.

_That's m'Dad._

'It's on, Honey.' He shouted over the TV as the volume began to build in intensity.

She let herself fall into a careless smirk.


	4. Razzle Rope-In

'Do you want some?' Hunter asked, gesturing to the packet of Razzles resting in his lap.

'Sure, thanks,' Veronica cupped her hands. He shook the packet vigorously and a few rolled out into her palm. In one swift move she plopped them into her mouth.

They sat on the couch, side by side, watching _Sponge Bob Squarepants. _She'd only been there twenty minutes and already witnessed four of Hunter's musical performance – and one magic show. The child prodigy had already done a number on Veronica. She was smitten with his electric blue eyes, his unruly sun-streaked hair, and tentative smile.

He'd been excited when he'd finally pulled back the Angry Birds wrapping paper to reveal the mini ukulele - She'd gone out early that morning to buy it.

_You're getting soft._

'It's to add to your collection of instruments,' She'd added, shrugging a little.

He beamed and began strumming erratically on the strings, 'Thanks,'

She'd even noticed Lianne well up in tears at the sight of her two children together. It had been a long time coming, almost too long. There was part of Veronica that wanted to walk away, to remain angry, bitter even; but she fought against and instead tried her best to give her mother what she needed. _Idealistic._ Besides she was slowly getting attached to the kid.

She looked around at the drably decorated apartment, it was all Lianne could afford with financial strain of impending trials, and barely any savings. It had a muddy-orange kitchenette with drunkenly hung cupboard doors and a chrome dining table. The living room wasn't much better with wood paneling on the walls, speckled Innsbruck carpet, and a faded, lumpy floral couch. A painting of a dusk-lit river with mossy undergrowth hung proudly crooked on the wall. It was significantly smaller than the apartment her and Keith had shared in his post-sheriff days. The familiar sounds of belligerent sirens wafted in from the street below and dogs began to bark causing a cacophonous mess.

_Fighting criminals, one assault at a time,_ she scoffed.

'How's Mom doing?'

'Hmm…' Hunter considered his answer carefully, 'She cries a lot,'

'She does, does she?' Veronica raised an eyebrow.

'Yeah, usually when she goes down to the Laundromat, she thinks I don't know,' He made a short roll of his eyes.

It was one of few opportune moments for Veronica to ask Hunter questions without Lianne's rather frantic interruptions. She'd gone across the street to the mini-mart; after much deliberation, she'd kissed Hunter goodbye, her final words of wisdom being,' Be good for Veronica, baby.'

'You know, she's just upset at the moment, Hunter. She loves you more than anything,'

'I know,' He looked down in his lap. She rubbed her hand lovingly along the top of his knee.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She felt herself fight a gleam when saw Logan's picture.

**When I get back: You, me at six?**

- **L **

'Who is that?' Hunter peered over her shoulder.

'Just my boyfriend, his name's Logan,' She typed back, barely looking up.

'Is he nice?' He looked at her almost sternly.

'Yeah,' She said, hitting send, 'Yeah, he's really nice,'

He furrowed his brows, 'But he doesn't come here?'

_Talk about Harriet the Spy._

'Well…' She breathed, 'He's busy, he's away at the moment,'

'When's he coming home?'

'In a couple of days,'

'Can he come here with you next time?'

_How about that, Veronica? Half an hour and the kid's already reeled you in._

'I don't know, Hunter, he may be busy; but I can ask,' She felt her face grow taut, 'Maybe, we can all go out to dinner next week,'

'Cool,' He grew bug-eyed.

_Poor kid must feel like a flower in the attic._

The front door swung open and in came Lianne, wearily trying to navigate her way to the kitchen, with an overwhelming load of groceries.

'I am sorry I took so long, guys, there was a huge line,' She timidly stepped over Hunter's strewn instruments on the living room floor.

'It's fine, Mom,' Veronica said, as she helped unpacked the groceries.

She looked at her mother. Her face care-worn, her hair in a frizzy tangled mess, and her clothes completely tousled. She'd obviously not slept. The bags under her eyes were dark purple and deep like saucers.

'Did you have a nice chat?' Her expression remaining bleak.

'Yeah, I think we did,' Veronica looked over at Hunter and he winked back in agreement.

'That's good,'

'Mom, I was thinking maybe we could go out to dinner on Friday?'

'Oh, I don't know, Veronica,' She continued to move R2-D2-like around the crammed apartment.

'I just thought it would be-nice, you, me, Hunter….maybe, Logan,'

'Logan?' Her head shot up, instantaneously, '_Ohhh, _sure, but I don't have-'

'It's fine, Mom, I can cover it,'

'Okay,' Her lips fell into a sad smile.

'So I'll see you Friday, then?'

'See you Friday,'

'Catch you later, Mozart, 'Veronica ran her hand through his sandy hair. She could feel her mother following her towards the door.

'Veronica?' She heard the timid, uncertainty in Lianne's voice and looked up 'Thanks for…' Lianne motioned to the little boy sitting on the gaudy couch.

'You're welcome,' She mouthed, stepping out the door.

_It's water under the bridge, Mom, water under the bridge._


	5. Primal Ponder & Insomnia

Veronica strenuously made her way up the front steps to Mars Investigations. She wiped away a piece of sleep from her eye. She straightened up her thrown-on black shirt and jeans. It was way too early. She hadn't slept well the night before; but preferred to think it had something to do with her mother's impending trail, rather than asking Logan about dinner.

_It'll be like an episode of Roseanne._

She let out a groan as she fell into her chair.

'How ya holding up, Daria?' Mac mused from her desk.

'Geez…' She mocked a monotone, 'Do you think if you breathed on me I might catch your enthusiasm?'

'Not from where you're sitting,'

'Ha. Did you get a chance to do that background check for Mr. Duarte?'

'I did, but it looks like his clean, I'll keep digging,'

Veronica rested her finger over the button on the answering machine, 'Nobody called, did they?'

'Not unless you were hoping to upgrade to cable or do a five minute survey?'

_Soon enough we'll be singing It's the Hard Knock Life._

Mac meandered across from her desk and planted herself down in one of the client chairs, 'Veronica, I know money is still tight and everything, so I am happy to work pro bono,'

'Mac, I can't let you do that,' She fretted, 'I mean, you need something to live off-'

Mac raised her hand in disagreement, 'I am doing other side projects anyway, and it'll give us time to bounce back again,'

'I'll talk with Dad about it,' She insisted, pushing hair out of her eye, 'Speaking of, where is he?'

Mac surveyed the office.

'He was here this morning, he must've gone back out-maybe he's off buying donuts?'

'Yeah, if he's Chief Wiggum,' She chortled.

'Hey, I am a computer genius, not Sherlock Holmes,'

Veronica reached for her bag and dialed Keith's number in her phone. She pressed it to her ear, hoping to hear his familiar voice, but instead it just continue to ring and ring. She dialed again. There was still nothing.

'He isn't answering,' She sighed.

'He's probably meeting with someone, KOAS maybe?'

'Have you been watching _Get Smart_ again?'

'It's the only thing on,' Mac shrugged.

'You're telling me you'd chose Maxwell Smart over Angus MacGyver?'

'Well yeah, MacGyver is a genius and all; but what's the point if you can't save the world while talking on a shoe phone?'

She could see Veronica was contemplating a response, 'Ahhh yes, but who can make a Rocket-powered harpoon gun with some mothballs, a telescope, cleaning fluid and handlebars?'

Mac nodded acceptingly as she walked back to her desk, 'Well, I guess MacGyver can,'

_Where are you, Dad and what are you doing?_

Veronica laid her head down on the cool desk. It wasn't even midday yet, she couldn't just pack up and go home, especially when someone could drop in at any moment.

_So this is the life of a starving P.I or was it striving?_

She looked up at her computer screen, she could feel her eyes getting heavy, and was trying desperately to suppress a rising yawn.

_No, Little Nemo in Slumberland for you._

She begrudgingly headed over to the peculator and poured herself some coffee. It rippled across the mug Keith had given her. It was a welcome home gift, emblazoned with a cartoon of a woman sitting across from a private eye, while smoking a cigarette. The speech bubble read: 'I want you to follow my husband on twitter.' It was the closest thing to a private investigator joke he could find.

She tipped some milk into the cup and nimbly stirred it in. Then wandered back through the alcove, narrowly missing a passer-by.

'Oh, honey,' Keith gave a brittle smile, 'Sorry, I didn't see you there,'

'Ah, sure,' She furrowed her brows at him, 'Where were you anyway?'

'I thought I'd check in on the Sampsons, see if they needed anything, I gave them our card,' He didn't meet her eye.

'Well, that was nice,' She countered, getting suspicious.

'Anyway, what's been going on here?' He set the box of donuts on her desk.

'Nothing,' Mac rapidly reached in and grabbed out a chocolate donut covered in sprinkles.

_For someone who just met with old clients, he's looking more like C.C Bloom than Bert Harris. _


	6. Dinner and a Confessional

The restaurant was quieter than she'd predicted. A few booths were full and their wispy lulled voice carried from across the room. The crisp, golden walls were covered in ornate mirrors and vibrant artwork. Each booth was covered in suave red and gold damask prints. There was a vase of freshly cut flowers on the table and the room smelled mildly salty, the sea breeze floating through from the patio. Logan had pulled out the big guns or at least it seemed that way.

'I figured we'd been adventurous,' He took a sip of his drink, 'Instead of just Mama Leone's,'

Veronica adjusted her one-shoulder plum dress nervously, 'Well, I officially feel like Vivian Ward sitting across from Edward Lewis in here,'

He reached across the table and slipped his hand in hers, 'Don't worry, you look beautiful,'

An unreserved smile lit up the corners of her mouth and she looked down.

'Now, what do you want for dinner? JAG is paying,' He handed her a menu.

Veronica scanned down the list.

_Expensive, expensive… And yahtzee affordable. _

'I think I'll get the Tortellini con Prosciutto,' She saw Logan lower his head to cross reference with the menu.

'Veronica, you don't have to get the cheapest thing on the menu,'

'No, I know, but I like Tortellini-'

'Are you ready to order?' A sharply dressed waiter with slicked-back hair stood beside their table.

Logan nodded, more in Veronica's direction that in the waiter's, 'Two serves of Tortellini con Prosciutto, a serve of bread rolls and a bottle of Pinot Grigio, thanks,'

The waiter scuttled away, still jotting down their order as he walked.

'Since when are you, Robert M. Parker?'

Logan shrugged, 'Since I stopped drinking cheap beers and passing out,'

Veronica raised her hands in mock-defeat, 'Well alright then, as long as you don't spit on me,'

'I would never,' He reached across and planted a quick peck on her lips.

_Talk about beating round the bush, Veronica._

'So how was Catalina?' She took a sip of her water.

'Warm, alright for surfing; but _lonely_,' He emphasized the words and smirked a little.

'So none of the other guys went with you?'

'Well, when you're presented with the option of going away with your brooding friend or attending a Dick Casablancas' blow out, which would you choose?'

'That's a rhetorical question, right?'

'Of course,' He rocked back in his chair.

She leant forward a little more and breathed deeply, 'Logan, I need to ask you something,'

'Yes, of course I prefer blondes, so don't go a changin'

She snorted and rolled her eyes, 'It's stupid and I understand if you don't want to; but I thought I'd ask anyway,'

'If it's ballroom dancing, I'll pass,' The waiter reached over and placed the basket of bread on the table.

'While it's always been my dream for us to effectively master the Foxtrot, this is worse, way worse,'

He grabbed a piece of bread, cut it open and began to lavish it with butter, 'Yeah?'

'It's my Mom and Hunter, they want to go out for dinner-as a family…Hunter wants to meet you,'

'If you want me to go, I'll go,'

'Just like that?' She gaped.

'Well yeah, if it's important and you know, you need me there I'll come. As long as it doesn't become so kind of _Meet the Robinsons_ fiasco,'

'Don't worry, my father hardly ever time travels,'

'Good to know,'

Across the restaurant, a couple got up and made their way past, Veronica lowered her head, and Logan let out a hardy laugh.

_If only I had brought my cloak of invisibility._

'You do realize the only thing setting you apart from that woman is your ability to accessorize?'

'Ahh yes, but it is still a divide,'

Soon enough the meals were served and they both tucked in, hinting glances at each other, it almost felt like nothing had changed. She'd worried it would've, that it wouldn't be so easy to fall back into, that those 180 days away could leave them distant. But he was still her Logan, he only saw her, and she liked it that way.

She finished her meal, then pushed her empty wine glass and dish to the side.

'That was… pretty great.'

'See, the things you discover when you venture across the pond and out of Mama Leone's'

'Hey,' She raised an eyebrow, 'Mama Leone's is age-old Mars tradition, it's like opening one present on Christmas Eve, like doing Easter egg hunts-'

He waved her off with his hand, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just admit it, Veronica, you enjoyed it,'

'I did,' She smiled earnestly.

'Come on,' He stood up from the table, 'I want to show you something,'

After paying for dinner, they wandered through a small backstreet, the only light came from a snug candy-stripe coloured icecream parlor.

'Two ice-creams, each with one scoop mint choc-chip and cookie dough,' He reached over the counter and offered a twenty dollar bill. In seconds, the woman returned with his change and two ice-creams, he handed Veronica hers.

They slowly made their way along the shoreline, taking in the moment, not saying much of anything.

'Tonight was nice,' She grabbed his hand.

_I can feel the goosebumps already._

'I have something I want to tell you,'

_I can feel the goosebumps already._

He looked out over the moon-lit beach, the pier with all its fanciful play, the people out for fresh air, 'I was there the morning you flew out to Stanford,'

'Okay?'

'Yeah, I mean, I overheard Wallace and Mac in the food court, they were talking about how you were leaving for Stanford. I don't know, I checked what time the first plane out of Neptune was leaving the next morning. I ended up getting stuck in traffic. So I rushed through security and then I saw you there with your dad. Saying goodbye. I mean, you looked happy, happy to be getting free of Neptune. Your Dad was, I don't know, by the window, and I pushed my way up through the line. Before I knew it, you were headed down to the plane, you waved to your Dad. The woman asked for my boarding pass and I couldn't even remember what I'd plan to do. I told her it was a mistake and I left,'

'Why?' She blinked rapidly, still trying to absorb the story.

'Because I knew I couldn't fix it that time and I wanted you to be happy, even if it wasn't… with me,'

'Logan, I- '

'I am not telling you this to bring up the past, to say who was right and who was wrong, because I know I fucked up. But I just wanted you to know how much I want to get it right this time,' His puppy-dog eyes hit hers.

She kissed him, tenderly and held him close in agreement.

_In the wise words of Benjamin Franklin, 'Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.'_


	7. Getting Re-Acquainted

Veronica stood staring in front of the bathroom mirror. Her flaxen blonde hair was lightly tousled, her mazarine eyes looked less sleep deprived, and her skin was its typical ivory shade.

_What do you wear for dinner with the Bluths?_

She shifted her head to the side, taking in her own outfit, pulling at the sleeves of her jacket. She'd decided on a champagne silk blouse. It seemed to work okay with her jeans; but the more she looked at it the more she considered getting changed. It wasn't even about the outfit, not really, it was more about having her boyfriend, her mother and her new addition – the half-brother she'd only just were all going out to dinner together. She'd been so used to keeping that part of her life separate from Logan, creating a virtual maze of different universe, each other their own and rarely ever colliding. It had been her safety net, her way of keeping her true feelings at bay, never letting anything cut skin-deep. But that was different now, Logan had seen every scratch, every flesh wound, and most importantly every internal bleed. The kind that sat at the fiber of her being. That's what Lilly's death had been. Except instead of a loss of blood, it was a loss of faith, something Logan was busily trying to restore.

_Well, in the words of Anne Hathaway, 'This is as good as it's gonna get',_ She let her shoulders fall into a flippant shrug.

'Hey honey,' Keith's head poked out from around the passage, 'You look nice, where you headed?'

She lightly rustled her hair, peering at him through the mirror, 'Just dinner with Mom and Hunter-my treat,'

'Oh yeah, you're coming too?'

_Wait, what._

'What?' She gaped.

He rolled his eyes, 'Your Mom called, said she was going out to dinner, and she told me to come along. We wanted to talk about the trial anyway,'

She blinked her eyes a little perplexed.

_Surely, this can't be happening._

'But from the look on your face, I'd say it won't just be you, your Mom and Hunter. Is Logan picking you up?'

'Why didn't she tell me?'

'Maybe because she thought you may try and re-enact Edvard Munch's most famous painting?' Keith caught sight of her eyes blacken, 'It's not that big a deal, Veronica, it'll be fine,'

'Do you want me to-'

'No, its fine,' He insisted, 'I can pick them up, you and Logan can head out as soon as he gets here,'

'Dad,' She looked down out her small pile of make-up, 'I want things to be…good,'

'It will be, I'll leave my Jack Byrnes impression at the door, and if he's lucky I may not even get into George Banks,'

'As long as I see no trace of Robin William, you're good,' She leant in and kissed his cheek.

The all familiar ding-dong rang from the front porch. Silently Veronica walked over to open it, all too aware that Keith wasn't far behind. She could already see Logan's smiling face through the glass and she desperately try to stifle a wide-grin. He stepped in slowly, kissing her lips, and turning swiftly Keith.

'Hey Mr. Mars, how you doing?' He could see Keith's measure glance, the way he scaled Logan's body with his eyes, and then settled on his face.

_Who ever said silence was golden, should've know better than to throw idioms around._

'Good all things considered,' He said finally, 'How are you, Logan?'

'Can't complain,' He hinted with his eyes towards Veronica.

'Dad's coming to dinner as well,' She gritted her teeth.

'Why is that? The allure of greasy steaks and overcooked fries too much for you?'

'No, more the company,' Keith shook his head.

Veronica crossed her arms, the exchange was growing awkward, it was a rare occasion with Logan in the house and it was growing stale. Crusty even, she fought of a chill running down her back, the static silence ringing in her ears.

'Anyway, I'll meet you both there,'

'Oh,' they both turn to her, once again remember she was there completely in ear-shot, 'I'll go get my bag,'

_Can you say icy?_

She made her way to her bedroom, it hadn't been changed she'd move back, they'd talked about getting her a real bed; but for now it was good enough. She searched the room, a bit frantic, not wanting to be held up by a misplaced handbag. and caught sight of it beneath a chair. In seconds, it filled the necessary space on her shoulder, and she rushed back out to the living room.

_I could be the next Ashrita Furman._

She stopped short at the edge of the hall, when she heard Keith's voice go placid, 'I never thanked you for-for what you did that night,'

'It was nothing.' She could already see him shrugging it off, the way he did every time he'd come to her rescue, forgetting how he'd put himself at risk. Every act of heroism went unnoticed with Logan.

_Always with the flippancy _

'No, Logan, it wasn't,' He corrected, 'You know what happened to Sacks, that could've been me, I was lucky. Lucky that you were there. That you looked after my daughter,'

'Well, you're welcome,'  
'I am going to try….' Keith trailed off.

There was a silent exchange going on, something that she couldn't picture, surely they weren't high-fiving.

She burst out into the entryway, bag in hand, completely in her usual demure.

'Come on, pal, are you ready to go into the lion's den?' She pulled Logan's arm towards the door, 'Catch you later, Pops.'


	8. In Old California

They walked into the restaurant at a snail's pace. Veronica looked around, fidgeting a little, she half-expect to see Ashton Kutcher jump and loudly proclaim, 'You've been Punk'd!' followed by several members of his camera crew. However, she saw nothing like that, Logan observed her take a deep, dooms day-like breath and he reach for her hand.

_It really is a hard knocked life for us. _

The restaurant was your typical family friendly restaurant, except they'd work hard at creating a Wild West theme, something Veronica would've typically avoided like the plague; but she'd picked it for Hunter. The walls were done in scorched woods, cowboys rousting cattle spread across the walls, the curtains were done in hide print and the occasional Alan Jackson tune belted out from an ancient radio.

_I guess John Wayne is late._

Logan sat down beside her and surveyed the room, across at the bar they could see a round-faced man in a check shirt cleaning glasses, trying to out-do the radio with his rendition of "Gone Country."

Logan gave her a mystified look.

She offered him an apologetic smile, 'Think of it as Disneyland,'

'For the record, I don't think anyone sings in that pitch in Frontierland _or_ Critter Country,'

'I don't know, Br'er Rabbit don't have the best pipes,' She mocked a Southern drawl, suddenly catching sight of her mother across the restaurant.

They made their way over to the table, Hunter firmly clasping his mother's hand, as they took their seats across from the couple.

'Hey Honey,' Lianne turned in Logan's direction and nodded subdued. 'Hi Logan,'

'Hi-Lianne,' He'd struggled to decide what to call her.

_Let_ _the Seventy Fourth_ _Hunger Games Begin._

'Hey Hunter,' Veronica smiled wide, 'Remember how you wanted me to bring Logan? That's him, say hi,'

'Hi,' Hunter smiled, through his tousled hair.

Logan gave him a grin back.

'Where's Dad?'

'Oh he'll be in, in a minute…'

Minutes passed and the conversation descended into silence.

_And there you have it folks, my mother, the nurturing matriarch. _

'Do you wanna colour-in?' The round-faced man bent down beside Hunter.

Hunter looked up at Lianne for approval, 'It's up to you, honey, do you want to colour?'

'YEAH!' Hunter bubbled.

'I was hopin' I'd hear you say that,' He attempted an accent before pulling out a box of crayons and a few loose sheets of cowboy colour pages.

Veronica cringed.

'Thanks,' Hunter gave him a gentlemanly nod in return.

'No problem, Sheriff,'

Logan eyed her playfully, 'Doesn't it remind you of Disneyland?'

'What?' Lianne added perplexed.

'You know, Alan Jackson, rousting cowboys, peach cobbler, doesn't that seem… I don't know strangely like Frontierland to you?'

'Yeah, if Frontierland is filled with men with beer guts,' Lianne countered.

'Huh,' Logan pretended to considered it; but he'd made his point.

Keith walked in. His eyes reached across to where his daughter sat and he trudged over to the table.

'Is this seat free, Calamity Jane?' Keith eyed Veronica, shuffling into his seat.

'It's culture, Dad,' Her eyes rested on Hunter 'Are we going to order?'

Logan had resigned himself to keeping as quiet as possible. Lianne looked off wearily in the distance, Hunter colored, and Keith seemed to be the only actively present individual in the room. "Ring of Fire" began to play.

_The man in black was right, love is a burning thing, no matter how you look at it. _

'Honey?'

'Huh?' She was suddenly jolted out of her train of thought, 'What, Dad?'

'What are you ordering?' He passed her a menu.

She perused it for a few seconds, 'Fried chicken, you?'

'Chicken wings, what about you, Lianne?'

'Oh-uh,' She grabbed at the menu and frantically sifted through it, 'I'll just get a salad,'

'I am thinking pulled pork,' Logan added.

Keith nodded.

'And what about you, little dude?' Veronica offered Hunter a menu.

'Can I get the catfish nuggets?' He asked wide-eyed.

_Look at that, even excited at the prospect of deep fried fish, he's like a kid at Christmas._

'Sure,'

'I'll go up and order,' Keith motioned towards the counter.

'No, Dad, it's-'

'Yeah, I can cover it?' Logan reached for his wallet.

But he waved them off, 'It's fine, it's on me, I'll be right back,'

Veronica sighed. She was suddenly reminded of how she need to discuss Mac's pay with her Dad. The thought unsettled her and with every coming statement, she was waiting for the electricity to be out or the power turned off. They could only live off their savings so long.

'So Logan, what do you do now? Lianne offered.

'Armed forces,'

Surprise quickly fell across her face like falling confetti.

_Here she was thinking he was working for Calvin Klein. Well that or the Kardashians._


End file.
